A startup developer with a vision for elevated accommodations at national parks reassured some skeptical neighbors when it presented plans Saturday for an 18-acre parcel off Highway 7 near Marys Lake.
“What we are trying to do is create a brand called Open Air at the national parks, starting with the Smokies and here,” Open Air co-founder Paul Bagi told a crowd of about 50 people packed in the Hondius Community Room at Estes Valley Library to learn about the project, ask questions, and give feedback. The neighborhood meeting was required as a prerequisite for the project’s application process.
Bagi and his business partner, Jordan Meltzer, were inspired after visiting parks across the country and finding a lack of “nice” accommodations that didn’t involve RVs or glamping. Open Air’s first project, a group of detached luxury cabins with a lodge, is under construction near Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
In the Estes Valley, Open Air plans to build a 55-room, two-floor hotel on the southwest quarter of the Nevada-shaped property at 2800 Marys Lake Road. Open Air has the property reserved under contract with the owner and plans to own and operate the hotel upon completion.
Unlike the Smoky Mountains cabins, it would be a traditional hotel building with a lobby, restaurant, fitness center, and spa. Bagi said the zoning density could allow up to 438 units, but they want to maintain a smaller, boutique feel while preserving the rest of the land. The development area, including the parking lot, would only have a 4.5-acre footprint. This approach would conserve wetlands on other parts of the property, mitigate impacts for elk migration, and keep a natural area for guests to enjoy.
“Currently, this plan has 55 units on it,” Bagi said. “We don’t want to go bigger than that because, one: the impact to the area; but also, two: the impact to the experience that people have on the property. It’s an entirely different experience when you have 440 keys versus when you have 55.”
Several residents worried that if Open Air ever sold the property, a future owner could still develop the rest of it. They suggested a conservation easement or deed restriction that would protect the land in perpetuity and go a long way toward building trust with the community. Bagi said he had not considered this option and would look into it.
Bagi noted other steps planned to mitigate the impact to neighbors. The building height will be capped at 30 feet. Because the property slopes slightly to the north, the building shouldn’t block views of the mountains. Bagi said Open Air plans to follow Estes Park’s dark-sky guidelines with minimal lighting. The hotel may host outdoor weddings, but parties will be held indoors, and the hotel will not host major events like concerts.
Before submitting a development application, Open Air first plans to request annexation into the Town of Estes Park. The unincorporated property is an enclave surrounded by the town limits. It is part of an informal cluster of properties known as the Highway 7 Enclave, identified by the Estes Park Planning and Zoning Division for possible future annexation. Bagi said planning staff encouraged them to apply for annexation. If annexed, the property could use the Town’s utilities, which already serve the site.
The property is currently zoned EV-A (Estes Valley Accommodations) with Larimer County. The town’s equivalent zoning would be Zoning A – Accommodations. It is also designated in the future land use map for accommodations.
Since the request is for annexation, not a zoning change, the application would not trigger Ballot Initiative 300, which requires two-thirds of property owners within 500 feet to approve zoning changes.
Once annexation is approved, Open Air will move forward with the development application. That combined process will take at least a year before construction can begin, Bagi said.
A traffic study commissioned by Open Air found several safety concerns at the intersection of Highway 7 and Marys Lake Road, including a high 50 mph speed limit on the curved highway. Open Air plans to pay for a deceleration lane to make turning onto Marys Lake Road safer. Two entry points to the property would both be from Marys Lake Road. Open Air would also build a public walkway along Highway 7.
During the Q&A portion of the meeting, residents shared a range of lingering concerns about impacts on the elk migration corridor, increased foot traffic, developing more hotels when there is a lack of workforce housing, and doubts about the need for the project when there are other options available, such as The Stanley Hotel.
“We have a population, a small subset of town, that wants to turn this into a baby Breck. I don’t think anybody moved here because they wanted to live in Breckenridge, and I don’t recall Breckenridge having a national park,” one man said. “You guys haven’t looked at this very thoroughly. I’m a very strong ‘no’ on what you’re trying to do.”
Other residents called the proposal relatively reasonable and thoughtful.
Sherry Ruth has lived near the property for over 25 years and has seen development proposals from high-density condos to a drug store and a gas station.
“We need to be looking, I think, at the lesser of all evils,” Ruth said. “Something that is a design like that, that fits into the neighborhood, that doesn’t take up a whole lot of space, that preserves most of what we have. We know the property is going to be developed anyway. So, would you rather have something like this, or would you rather have a gas station and convenience store?”
Greg Leitner, president of the Arapaho Meadows HOA, said he came to the meeting as a skeptic but was encouraged to learn that Open Air is willing to consider a conservation easement.
“If we had to pick our poison, would we rather have something that looks like this that is going to protect the whole area, or do we leave it open to someone who doesn’t care about the neighborhood and just wants to put what they want on there?” Leitner said.
“There’s a lot to digest.”
Residents are invited to submit feedback through a Google form or email the developer.
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